tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236115166770917790.post5583640078733528226..comments2023-04-22T19:46:43.272-07:00Comments on Experimentations of a Teenage Feminist: The (Big-Breasted) Curse of Women in Video GamesDanielle Bürchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919745630489852599noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236115166770917790.post-22833677446321735542010-12-15T05:47:30.389-08:002010-12-15T05:47:30.389-08:00Great post! I loved it. I'll be playing the si...Great post! I loved it. I'll be playing the sims 3 nonstop over the Christmas break :pBritishCherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09896531344830267491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236115166770917790.post-59462100798349385492010-08-29T02:45:38.489-07:002010-08-29T02:45:38.489-07:00@Anonymous - Believe me, I share your frustrations...@Anonymous - Believe me, I share your frustrations! And like you, I've actually thought "well, why don't they make guys in video games have big you-know-whats?" But that would be degrading BOTH sides, and we shouldn't wish for that, either. :/<br /><br />@Kanadra - Dang, I know what you mean! I was trying to find a picture of a female superhero for a project and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them had huge breasts, tiny waists, toned legs, etc. Male superheroes are impossible-looking as well, but I don't know, doesn't it seem like blowing up a woman's breasts is more degrading than giving a man a chiseled chest? That sounds insensitive, but...<br /><br />@Roni - What a lame stereotype! Girl gamers are supposed to be ugly and anti-social? I guess the same stigmas (kind of) apply to all gamers, but still. What a jerky thing to say.<br /><br />@blakerivers - I understand that sex sells (heck, just look at barista coffee stands!), and I also understand that the game industry isn't changing anytime soon. I guess I just needed to vent. HOWEVER, I stand behind the belief that male video game characters are at an advantage - because they are more diverse. As I said before, male characters are more likely to be portrayed as skinny, average, bulky, overweight, etc. etc. etc. But female characters are almost always hypersexualized (to the point of deformation), and relentlessly play the "helpless princess," "the victim," "the prostitute," etc.<br /><br />And of course I realize huge muscles and "stubble you couldn't cut with diamond" are insulting to men - who are already faced with too many stereotypes of what it means to be "masculine" as it is - but as a woman it doesn't automatically register, you know? I'm sorry; I need to be sure and look at things from both sides...Danielle Bürchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13919745630489852599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236115166770917790.post-41636316377860702372010-08-14T21:40:07.674-07:002010-08-14T21:40:07.674-07:00It's not so much the game developers that are ...It's not so much the game developers that are responsible for perpetuating the sexual-objectification in video games; even if more females were developers it would still persist, I fear. Instead, it is the market. They know that teenage boys eat up that kind of female-erotic imagery and the fact is that males aged 8-25 make up by far the largest pool of video game consumers (Watch out for misleading statistics: there's a difference between how many people play a video game and how many purchase a video game). So naturally, for profit reasons, they have an incentive to use the female body to sell their games. It's just good for business!<br /><br />To change the product, you have to change the market.<br /><br />"I’d say the body proportions of 90% of female video game characters are a huge insult to women in real-life. What is it, video-game-developer-who-lives-with-his-parents, we're not good enough for you?" -D. Burch<br /><br />That's not quite what's going on. Look at the males in video games and comics. Many if not most of them are pretty unrealistic as well. Muscles upon muscles, stubble you couldn't cut with diamond, chin and jawlines like rock...even the final-fantasy type males aren't much closer to real men. But you wouldn't call that imagery an insult to men, would you? Be fair, now. No, it's more simply that any and all relevant physical characteristics get hyper-amplified. On females, that is obviously going to be her "curves."<br /><br />This is because it is the sexual aspects of females that are most highly valued in our society. Obviously. If that were not the case, then the picture of females in gaming would be different. It's sad and frustrating, I know, but it has to be recognized for what it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236115166770917790.post-53739335451537040772010-08-11T00:51:15.522-07:002010-08-11T00:51:15.522-07:00So true, unfortunately. I noticed this such a long...So true, unfortunately. I noticed this such a long time ago. I've been playing video games since I was like three. I didn't understand why I always had to play as male characters. Or if I could play as female characters, they looked inhuman.<br /><br />There are a lot of stereotypes against women who play video games too. As a kid, even, I played against and beat tons of guys (including some adults) who said, "girls don't/can't play video games." According to my sister, all female gamers are "ugly, anti-social, and/or act like guys." And she calls herself a feminist?! I pointed out that she was stereotyping, but she said she didn't care. After arguing about this for a while she changed "all" to "most." As if that's much better. <br /><br />As you pointed out, the sexism in video games goes beyond appearances. It's just ridiculous. Maybe the game industry would like to lose 38% of it's customers.Ronihttp://likeasnowflake.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236115166770917790.post-2464596849625209032010-08-10T13:56:03.519-07:002010-08-10T13:56:03.519-07:00Very true. Another place where women characters ar...Very true. Another place where women characters are always super busty is in comic books. I can't think of any female comic book character (excluding Ethel from Archie comics, who hardly counts), especially in super-hero comics that doesn't have overly large breasts. And as far as I know, most comics are written by men, as well.Kanadrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134306832711643344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236115166770917790.post-46525461175548819032010-08-09T18:56:44.041-07:002010-08-09T18:56:44.041-07:00Boy do I agree with this article. I was in a very ...Boy do I agree with this article. I was in a very popular game and book store here in town. The shelves were loaded with video game characters. All the women had huge Breasts. Where is the reality in these games. There are all sizes and shapes of women out there guys. Not all have huge breasts. Some actually have brains to admire. Only fair guys, if you must show off our Breasts, I want to see huge penises on all the male super heros from now on, and I want them hanging half out, like the girls Breasts. Since we are measured by how huge you can blow up our breasts, wouldn't that be more equal! Get a life guys. Tone down the breasts. If women's breasts were that huge we would not be able to stand up! What Good is a super hero that is falling over forward all the time, or who has back pain all the time, and is out of commission and cant help anyone! These figures are so laughable, they really are not funny. Just degrading, not only to women, but it makes you guys look like idiots . This is what you want your sons and daughters to grow up believing. That all women, are just Breasts! OMG I feel sorry for your daughters!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com